Charges filed against man accused of terrorizing Murray neighborhood with a hatchet

By Jeff Finley , Deseret News

Published: Friday, Nov. 9 2012 8:00 p.m. MST

A man with an ax terrorized a Murray neighborhood early Tuesday. (KSL-TV)

SALT LAKE CITY — A Salt Lake City man accused of attacking two people with a hatchet and terrorizing a Murray neighborhood was charged Friday in 3rd District Court.

Ammon Jacob Woodhead, 27, was charged with aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, and two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, along with several misdemeanors, in connection with the early Tuesday incident.

Police say Woodhead entered a home near 6500 South and 1200 East and assaulted the homeowner in his bed with a hatchet. He then fled the house but was confronted by the homeowner's nephew, who then attempted to stop him.

A man with an ax terrorized a Murray neighborhood early Tuesday. (KSL-TV)

Woodhead struck the nephew in the head with the hatchet and fled the house, according to charging documents. The homeowner didn't sustain any serious injuries, but his nephew suffered a 4-inch-long red mark on his head where he was hit by the hatchet.

Woodhead then attempted to enter three more homes while running away from the first homeowner and ended up on the roof of a home.

A two-hour standoff with police ensued with Woodhead threatening to kill himself with a knife several times and threatening to blow up himself — and Murray — with a bomb, charges state. He eventually complied with police, dropped his knife and was taken into custody, according to charging documents.

A man with an ax terrorized a Murray neighborhood early Tuesday. (KSL-TV)

After he was arrested, Woodhead told police he is addicted to meth and didn't know how long he had been awake, charges state. He also said he wasn't aware that he was going into people's houses and assaulting them.

He said that he was "just running" and "trying to get away from the shadow people," according to charging documents.

Woodhead also was charged Friday with two counts of criminal trespass, three counts of criminal mischief, interference with arresting officer and unlawful manufacture of or possession of burglary tools, all class B misdemeanors.